By Terry L. Wettig, Ph.D., Kelly Sammon
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of WERC.
Twenty-five years have passed since I wrote an article titled “Patriot Moves” for Mobility magazine in December 1999. I was retired from the Air Force and working in relocation management for a local real estate business at the time. The original article focused on the relocation processes in place to assist in the military moves of, primarily, active-duty Air Force personnel. It highlighted the need to understand the various moving parts of assignment relocations of Air Force personnel and the physical and financial impact of these moves.
Many things have happened in the time between that first article and now, including the tragedy of 9/11 and the entirety of the longest war in United States history. Although the Air Force and the entire military have changed significantly during this period and through these events, two things have not changed: the need to relocate our military personnel and families, and the need to keep improving our relocation processes. And, in this period, I was fortunate enough to return to the roles of the Air Force—this time as a civil servant who just completed a move from Alabama to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu, Hawaii.
While the original article was written in the third person, I felt this time around, having just finished a relocation, I wanted to add a personal insight to include my experiences and those of my relocation partner, Allegiance Government Relocation. As a caveat, this article provides information only and is not intended to reflect official policy nor represent a formal in-place relocation structure.
On average, the United States Air Force completes thousands of assignments each year. While many of these do not qualify for relocation industry benefits, they all involve moving the military’s most important asset: our people, our families, and all our worldly possessions. Sometimes these moves are interstate, and sometimes they are international. Throughout one’s career, whether the moves are near or far, they all include a certain level of stress and anxiety.
While active-duty members receive assistance directly from their branch of service, benefits for civil service members are different. The Defense National Relocation Program (DNRP) exists to ease the stresses of moving for qualified Department of Defense (DoD) civilian personnel—the transferee—throughout their moves. Once enrolled in the DNRP and the enrollment is coordinated with the service branch, the member chooses ala cart from a plethora of benefits. These typically range from relocation counseling, home marketing and home finding services, a buyout program called guaranteed home sales, and mortgage assistance if the member is buying a home at their new duty station.
Key to this program is there is no cost to the transferee for DNRP services. Both the member and DNRP play an active role in completing the real estate transaction. Specifically, DNRP requires the member to self-list their home for a period before it enters the DNRP program. Once completed—typically 60 days—the member completes an electronic form and its application and submission begin a series of events designed with one purpose in mind: a smooth and event-free relocation.
It is often said that “things don’t move fast in the military.” This had been my experience over time. However, within days of my application submission, I received an email from Weichert Realty. The ball was rolling. Then, I received an email and instructions from Allegiance Government Relocation, and magic began to happen. After agreeing to specific terms, and completing profile questions regarding the property specifics, Allegiance set up a phone interview. Not knowing exactly what to expect and still nervous about the move specifics, I was immediately put at ease by the Allegiance relocation counselor.
No move is as simple as a “pack-and-go” operation and, oftentimes forgotten, there is an entire network of professionals behind the scenes working hard to make each move a personal experience. From understanding weight limitations associated with any move to the intricacies of shipping privately owned vehicles (POV) to orchestrating a much-needed house-hunting trip to the myriad variables in shipping household pets, or to understanding the ins and outs of various tax issues, these moving professionals, highlighted in an author’s conception of an Air Force program, have a lot to juggle as they individually handle upwards of dozens of moves at any given time.
Inherent in this process, then, is for the transferee to take on an active role in their move. Asking questions is paramount to not only understanding what is required and when, but only by asking questions can all parties be and remain truly informed. How many POVs can I ship? What are the specific requirements for shipping pets? What are my hard and soft deadlines? Neither the relocation partners nor the transferee needs or even wants unasked and unanswered questions to suddenly surface.
Enter the relocation professionals.
To assist in my move, DNRP partnered with Weichert Realtors, a privately held real estate company founded in 1969 and specializing in both residential and commercial real estate. Within Weichert, relocations for government-related moves such as mine are assigned to Allegiance and their global broker network. Through this network, Allegiance is appropriately manned, trained, and equipped to assist the transferee with home marketing, home finding, and the myriad other details necessary to move individuals or entire families to their new destinations. “It takes a village” is an apt phrase we can use in executing successful government moves.
Empathy and communication are critical traits of the counselor to ensure a smooth move. Throughout the move process, the assigned relocation counselor becomes the lynchpin, ensuring steps are not only completed but completed in the right sequence and with the right resources. The counselor acts as a juggler on stage. Counselors must juggle move timelines, home listings, household goods, transporting of pets and vehicles, home inspections, and mortgage payoffs all within the rules and constraints imposed by a plethora of government agencies. This is often magnified many times, as counselors work with several transferees at a time.
Counselors must be mindful that the transferee may not have moved many times—they certainly are not moving professionals and may be operating with secondhand and/or social media-driven information. As such, asking and educating the transferee with probing and insightful questions cannot be understated. Sam Goldwyn of MGM stated once, “For your information, let me ask you a few questions.” Nothing can be more spot-on than that quote to help inform the transferee who is likely thinking beforehand “I don’t know what I don’t know.”
Especially if the transferee move is within the United States, the relocation process can take on a new partner—a local real estate company. Relocation companies, such as Allegiance, working within a partnership can assist in finding a real estate professional to assist in house-finding services.
From beginning to end, the real estate relocation process is a valuable tool in helping our military on the move. By doing their part, all the parties, with one goal in mind, not only provide ease to the transferee but also help ensure our military does their part in keeping our communities safe.
The 1999 article ended with these words—still as applicable today as they were then:
“Although the focus on mission accomplishment has not changed over the years, people programs have. The emphasis is now—more so than 10 years ago—on taking care of the military member and the family before, during, and after the relocation. The intrinsic features of the Air Force’s relocation network support a smoother and, therefore, less stressful move for today’s and tomorrow’s Air Force personnel and [continue] to help make the Air Force “A Great Way of Life.”
Any move, military or civilian, whether it is the transferee’s first or 10th, is a stressful time with unbounded uncertainty dealing with the myriad facets mentioned above, or in anticipating new cultures, new school districts, and new working environments. The success or failure of any relocation system, formal or informal, relies on an informed and two-way exchange of information designed with one main purpose—a smooth move.